Johnson County council sets combined health director role at director pay after board seeks higher salary

The Johnson County Council voted 4–3 on May 12 to accept the Board of Health’s proposal to combine the county health director and the public health preparedness coordinator into a single position and to set that position’s pay at the Health Department director’s approved 2025 budgeted salary, approximately $88,593, effective July 1, 2025.

The vote follows weeks of discussion about how the two roles had been paid previously and a Board of Health proposal that listed a minimum yearly salary of $116,344.43 for a combined role. Council members and the county’s health officer discussed the operational and succession risks of combining the two duties while also noting the county’s growth and future need to separate them again.

Jeff Qualls, Johnson County health officer, told the council the dual duties include emergency response planning and preparedness functions: “I always say that’s the person who’s has us ready for our, train derailment should that day come.” Qualls said the board has “opted to unite these positions into 1 role with 1 salary” but also told members he expects the positions will likely need to be separated again as the county grows.

Qualls described how the combination evolved: when the previous director…